Standing next to the beer pong table and barbecue that characterize most cliffside college houses in Isla Vista, Supervisor Laura Capps joined firefighters, law enforcement officers, and students on October 8 to give a one-year status update on her bluff safety plan for the area. The supervisor’s eight-point plan was implemented after the tragic death of Santa Barbara City College student Benjamin “Benny” Schurmer, who fell from atop the 40-foot bluffs in September 2023.
“This is a great example of turning pain into action,” said Supervisor Capps, gesturing to two of Benny’s friends who created a petition shortly after their friend’s death that put the supervisor’s plan into motion.
Supervisor Capps’s progress report was held on the first cliffside property in Isla Vista to take advantage of her promise to waive permit fees for constructing higher fences on oceanside decks. The Del Playa Drive property, owned by Andrew Iannaccone and managed by Richard West of Utopia Property Management, now boasts a six-foot fence overlooking the ocean. Eight other oceanside properties are in the process of raising their fence heights, with no movement from the other 66 homes.
Over the past year, Supervisor Capps has spearheaded the addition of four portable restrooms on the oceanside street, prickly horticulture that discourages people from getting close to cliff edges to use the bathroom, and higher bluff-side fences in county-owned parks. With 14 cliff-related deaths in the past 20 years and an even larger number of falls, these action items have been instrumental in keeping students and Isla Vista residents safe.
Capps added that the funds from a $3.7 million settlement with the university over their inability to provide enough housing for students will be used to build a permanent public restroom on Del Playa Drive.
One of Benny’s friends, Grace Wilson, applauded the supervisor’s work but urged students to remain vigilant about the dangers of living and partying on the bluffs. “This is awesome, but we need to continue the conversation,” she said.
